News Detail

WORLD TOILET DAY

The Kajiado County Government through the department of Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation joined the rest of the world in marking The World Toilet Day at KMQ dispensary, Loodokilani Ward, Kajiado County.

Though still a work in progress, the department has recorded a 27% versus 47% success in open defecation free zones in rural and urban areas of the county respectively.Speaking at the function, the CEC in charge of Health, Esther Somoire said her department hopes to create more awareness on the importance of toilets to residents of Kajiado County. She said that by the year 2020 Kajiado will have achieved this endeavor so long as the residents become receptive and are willing to accept the initiatives outlined by the Health Ministry.
“We are continually turning our environment into an open sewer. We must build toilets and sanitation systems by using solutions that work according to our needs,” she said.

Samoire said her ministry will move the campaign to create open defecation free zones to all corners of the county adding that sanitation was a key priority of this initiative especially with the onset of the long rains.
“We do not want a situation where we have outbreaks of diseases such as cholera because our people and animals consume contaminated rain water,” she said.

The CEC also took issue with adults who defecate in open areas because they fail to build toilets or latrines at their places of work. She singled out quarry workers and police manning road blocks as notable culprits of this vice.
“To make Kajiado County an open defecation free zone we must target everyone and insist on them to use toilets; from children in schools to adults in their places of work,” advised Samoire.

Also present were the Chief Officers within the Health docket, County Health Officers among other partners and related stakeholders.

World Toilet Day (WTD) is an official United Nations International observance day on 19 November to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Worldwide 4.5 billion people live without safely managed sanitation and around the world 892 million people practice open defecation.

Sustainable Development Goal 6 aims to achieve sanitation for all and end open defecation. World toilet day exists to inform and inspire people to take action towards achieving this goal.